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Heroin epidemic a health emergency

A heroin epidemic should be handled as a public health emergency, Democratic candidate for governor Ed FitzGerald told a group of local Democrats at a fundraiser Monday.

Due to the danger of the drug, cases of heroin dealing should be treated as attempted homicides and “if you’re a heroin dealer you should go to prison. Period,” said FitzGerald, Cuyahoga County’s executive.

FitzGerald said he’s had his county’s medical examiner personally call him each time there’s a heroin-related death.

The problem with Gov. John Kasich’s administration is it has cut about $20 million statewide in resources that could’ve been used to address the heroin problem, he said. Huron County likely lost out on some of that money, said Kasich’s opponent in November.

FitzGerald accused Kasich, a Republican, of cutting taxes for millionaires while raising taxes for the poorest of Ohio’s residents. In general, the gap between the country’s richest and the poorest is the widest since the 1920s, FitzGerald said.

“We’re getting further and further and further apart,” he said. “We are at risk of completely becoming a ‘have and have not’ economy.”

Kasich is “working hard for that very small group of people and the rest of you are going to be left behind,” FitzGerald said.

While FitzGerald didn’t accuse Kasich of causing all the world’s problems, he said Ohio has never had a state government “as extreme, as radical, as out of touch as this one is.”

Under Kasich, if you own a business and it closes, “good luck,” FitzGerald said. “You better hope that the right person is connected to the right person. The state’s being run for the benefit of a very few people.”

FitzGerald said state government has actually increased with Kasich as governor, but tax cuts have gone to the wealthiest of Ohioans. The Democratic challenger said the theory that money belonging to the rich will eventually make its way to the poor never worked and never will.

FitzGerald said he’s in favor of increasing the state’s minimum wage by $10.10. He added the current minimum wage doesn’t pay for what it used to pay for.

FitzGerald didn’t specifically cite Kasich’s views on the issue.

“He’s going to say as little as possible between now and November,” FitzGerald said.

He said Kasich has referred to the Buckeye State’s economy as the “Ohio Miracle.” With half of the state’s residents living paycheck to paycheck, “you don’t describe the economy as a miracle.”

FitzGerald said he wouldn’t describe Ohio as a business-friendly state.

“No, not at all. And (Kasich’s) making it worse.”

FitzGerald said he’s the better candidate because of his experience in reforming government at the city and county level as well as his law enforcement experience.

“In 2010, following one of the largest public corruption scandals in the history of Ohio, Ed was elected to lead a new county government,” campaign officials wrote on his website at www.edfitzgeraldforohio.com. “As County Executive, Ed reduced government waste by tens of millions of dollars and used those savings to create four times more jobs than his predecessor and the nation’s largest college affordability program. While balancing the budget every year, Ed also expanded the county’s pre-kindergarten program, and “restored people’s trust in Cuyahoga County,” putting in place some of the toughest ethics laws in Ohio.”

Huron County Democratic Party Chairwoman Sue Lesch encouraged those present to spread the word about FitzGerald.

“This guy has a record of being a problem fixer,” she said

Comments

Now The Rest of...

Tue, 06/10/2014 - 11:28pm

Wonder if any of the sheep asked fast FitzGerald if he was elected governor, if he would finally finsh a job. When he was mayor of Lakewood he was against the change to Cuyahoga County government, he then ran for county executive position under the new set up without finishing up in Lakewood. Now he wants another office without finishing the job in Cuyahoga County. As for Dumlap stating he cleaned up the government in Cuyahoga,(all democratic who were indicted and convicted) check the facts Tommy, the Federal Courts did the clean up and the voters changing the system. As for the former mayor, what problems has he solved, he never finishes anything.

truckin

Wed, 06/11/2014 - 6:23am

I just don't understand the whole minimum wage argument.
If you raise minimum wage up to the numbers people want, now entry level, lack of attendance needed, no drug test needed, etc. type jobs.
Will be at half the income as average income levels for trained, skilled, tested, show up everyday etc. jobs.
Now one can argue more fair, but how is it fair when the lower wage earner will be at the same level with the help of subsidies and "extra" benefits as the person who stuck with the same employer, or earned a degree, graduated high school even?
Where are there any low results for ones actions, or lack there of?

But then, cost will go up on "everything" so we'll be at the same problem again?

I do not have the one size fits all answer.
But in this country we have some very well off minimum wage earnings who do not seem to be lacking in many areas of needs, wants and desires.

Contango

Wed, 06/11/2014 - 6:34am

Moderators have removed this comment because the editors determined that it contained politically unfavorable statements made about Democrats.

freespeech1

Wed, 06/11/2014 - 6:37am

please tell me that isn't the reason this comment was removed.

TheGravyWhisperer

Wed, 06/11/2014 - 12:24pm

...put the comment back

itsnotme

Wed, 06/11/2014 - 12:59pm

Are you even kidding right now?? Politically unfavorable comments against Democrats??? WTF?

kickinback

Wed, 06/11/2014 - 8:06pm

I fell for this comment thinking it was real ....

Contango

Thu, 06/12/2014 - 5:25am

The NR moderators DID remove my comment on the other FitzGerald story and then later replaced.

I just saved 'em the trouble on this one - satire.

itsnotme

Thu, 06/12/2014 - 9:35am

Haha...I missed the other article.

shovelhead

Wed, 06/11/2014 - 6:47am

Yep. Let's raise the minimum wage. Let's make it impossible for a business to hire anyone. This guy reminds me of Robin Hood. Steal from the working and give to the lazy. I do like the way the article calls him "Ed" several times at the end.....makes me feel like I've known him for years. He's probably not so bad, we know him by name.

I have an idea fitz, instead of attacking everything, how about you give some solutions. Now that's a noble idea. But then again, we all know democrat solutions are a mixed bag of entitlements, over spending and just plain lies. If its broke just throw more money at it!

Windy

Wed, 06/11/2014 - 7:33am

But blaming Bush worked for Obama .... twice! It's how democrats campaign. They don't have any real solutions, so they find someone else to blame for the problem so they can make themselves look better.

TrollingMotors

Wed, 06/11/2014 - 9:23am

Thats because Bush started out with a surplus and a balanced budget.

What did he leave with? He had the house, Senate and the supreme court.

Sucks when you are held accountable isnt it?

Lets not forget about his failure to protect america on 9-11

My Pet Goat!

freespeech1

Wed, 06/11/2014 - 9:34am

Well obummer has had 6 years, so its his now. And if you look when things went sour it was a DEMOCRAT controlled house and senate. Funny how you lefty kool aid drinkers seem to forget that. So your statement on he had these houses of government when he left is false. Good try though.

beernsmokes2

Wed, 06/11/2014 - 1:15pm

Why does everything have to Democrat or Republican. Personally I think neither party could find their arse with both hands. I hate them both equally. Get rid of all of them and start over. No more free ride...

Contango

Wed, 06/11/2014 - 1:41pm

Re: "I think neither party could find their arse with both hands."

Agreed.

The Dems won't stop taxing, borrowing, printing and spending and the Repubs don't have the political will to stop them.

Only after an inevitable financial collapse will there be a 'chance' to correct decades of failed economics.

(The 2008 financial crisis was just 'papered over' by the govt. with the help of the Federal Reserve. Private debt was 'magically' converted into public debt.)

In the meantime, protect you and your own as best you can - diversify your assets.

Hope for the best, plan for the worst.

ladydye_5

Wed, 06/11/2014 - 10:09pm

Agreed. Most people just lose their job when they can't do it properly. Right now, noone is looking out for Joe Q. Public. It is all about party lines and lobbyist. It is time for term limits. Heck make it like jury duty. Something needs to change. But I agree, neither party does any good right now.

Dr. Information

Thu, 06/12/2014 - 8:16am

Obama has single handily created such a hostile environment between both parties. This stuff wasn't going on under Bush. Both sides seemingly got along for the most part.

Fromthe419

Wed, 06/11/2014 - 10:25am

Please get over the "myth" of a balanced budget. The budget was only balanced on discretionary spending. The military budget and SSI were not part of Clinton's budget. I applaud him for getting discretionary spending in check, but the national debt did not go down during his term, so there was no surplus. Why didn't Clinton take Bin Laden when he had a chance in 1997? Why did he repeal Glass-Stegall the allowed the banks to nuke our economy? Why did he sign NAFTA? Don't think the left has all the answers, they are just as much the problem as the republicans. Why did Obama say the Patriot Act was un-constitutional, yet extended it and then through executive order establish the NDAA? If you honestly think one side of the isle gives a crap about you then you are dilusional, they care about one thing...getting re-elected and the special interest money than fund their campaigns.

J Cooper

Wed, 06/11/2014 - 4:36pm

The only surplus was when Oral Office Clinton worked with the Republican congress, and creative booking counting social security. As for 9/11 Oral Office Clinton did nothing to fight terrorism for 8 years including the Cole attack, that was done by the same faction as 9/11. Bush inherited the problem but didn't blame Oral Office Clinton after he was in office for only 8 months, unlike Obama blaming Bush for everything 6 years later. Sucks when the facts bit you in the democrapper.

eat my shorts

Wed, 06/11/2014 - 4:46pm

...lol

mb5150

Wed, 06/11/2014 - 9:18pm

oral office? wow, how original. i was wondering, does bush2's may 3, 2003, speech ring a bell? you know, the one when he landed on an aircraft carrier and said, 'mission accomplished'?
he was just a few years off ; ) but, he and vp cheney did ok, didnt they? i mean, financially? a lot of others were wondering if repubs would take a small portion of the responsibility of a war in which they may have lied about wmds? cmon...just a lil? everyone else has lol. by the way, i never got a chance to thank you guys for allowing my to son to be sent to afghanistan for the better part of a year. appreciate it.
name calling and finger pointing. responses of the typical conservative. and of the 8 yr olds on the playground lol
have a great day, America!

ladydye_5

Wed, 06/11/2014 - 10:13pm

Did you son get drafted? Or did he VOLUNTARILY join the military? Did he read the fine print? OH, I bet he just joined to get an education huh?

mb5150

Thu, 06/12/2014 - 8:45am

good comeback. circus lemonade. weak

ladydye_5

Thu, 06/12/2014 - 8:58am

No, the truth. I am not a political person, sorry to disappoint you. I am however very proud of my husband and his military career. I am pretty sure you son knew that going to war was a possibility when he signed the papers. My husband has deployed many times over the last 20 years. Some safely, some not so safely. I was just wondering, if your son wasn't interested in fighting for his country, why did he join the Army? Just to get the free education?(which they even cutting the education benefits for the military too) If he wasn't willing to fight (possibly die) for his country why did he join the Army? It is an ALL VOLUNTEER Army. He was NOT drafted. You make it sound like some in Congress, Republican or Democrat forced him to join and fight. Yes, they are making the decision about the war, but they do not make the decisions on WHO goes in the Army.